A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, presided by Hon. Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme on Monday sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased (his wife) on April 8, 2022.
The judge held that the prosecution has proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge.
The charge was on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5, respectively. The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court. The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing, the defendant’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.
Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced him to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7.
On 23 January 2003, an Owerri High Court presided over by Justice Njideka’s mother-in-law, Hon. Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, now a justice of the Supreme Court, sentenced seven persons, including Chief Vincent Duru, alias Otokoto and Chief Leonard Unaogu to death, for their involvement in the brutal murder of 11-year-old Ikechukwu Okoronkwo on September 19, 1996, at Otokoto Hotels, Owerri.
Also condemned to death for the same offence were Alban Ajaegbu, Sampson Nnamito, Ebenezer Egwuekwe, Rufus Anyanwu and Lawrence Eboh. In her over three-hour judgment, Justice Nwosu-Iheme described Chief Duru as “a hardened and unrepentant murderer.”
Nwosu-Iheme said she found it extremely difficult to believe the stories told by Chief Duru to the effect that Chief Unaogu and himself did not know each other before this ugly incident nor ever regarded themselves as close friends.
On 18 May 2018, however, the Supreme Court overturned the verdict.
In her lead judgment, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun held that the circumstantial evidence relied on to convict and sentence the appellant by the lower courts was not sufficient.
NAN/Vanguard Newspapers
